Of a Different World
by Sky Hunter
Summary: Crossover, doesn't that word make a chill go down your spine, hmm?This is a story set in the countries Alagaësia and Surda, and the consequences when some beings from my own worlds are thrown into the middle of the war. Let the terror begindon't worry, I'
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: the Inheritance triology and any characters from there are the property of Paolini. Anything you don't recognize, belongs to me.

**Aberon, capital city of Surda.**

_**Late at night.**_

* * *

Pushing everything at the desk in front of him out of the way, only just missing knocking over the candles providing him with light, Eragon had to make a great effort to hold back a cry of frustration. Ever since that messenger had arrived earlier in the day, just before the evening meal, bringing the news he had been dreading-- the young dragonrider had locked himself in his quarters.

Four weeks ago, after the army of the Empire had been forced to retreat, he and everyone else in Surda had permitted themselves to hope that they had struck a great blow to their enemies. Or at the very least, Galbatorix wouldn't be able to regroup his forces to attack again for quite some time.

But then frightening rumors was heard in the streets, that an even larger army was marching through the Empire to join the remains of the defeated army waiting just outside the border northeast of Aberon. Scouts and spies had been sent out to investigate, and there had been a tense two and a half weeks as the Varden and Surda waited for the rumors to be confirmed or debunked.

Now rumor had become fact.

:_It is bad, I know that. But hiding in your room and despairing is not doing any good, Nasuda and the king have asked about you_: Sapphira said.

Outside, the blue dragoness returned after a hunting trip carrying some kind of gazelle in her talons, and as she landed outside-- the windows rattled in the backdraft of her wings. Eragon leaned over the desk as Sapphire started eating, trying not to 'listen' too much to it, he just didn't like the thought of meat these days...

"I'll go to them soon, did they say where they would be?"

:_In the..._:

There was a pang of surprise from Sapphira, and then a deafening boom shook the room.

Throwing himself backwards to avoid a falling bookcase, Eragon hit the floor hard, nearly knocking himself out. Either way, the sound had left his ears ringing and he felt rather stunned, so he didn't really notice the strange lights shimmering across the abruptly cloudy sky outside.

Or that something was moving towards him across the fallen bookcase for that matter.

* * *

Outside, in the courtyard next to the building where Eragon had been assigned his quarters, Sapphira was painfully getting back up at her feet-- even as she watched the unexpected guests in front of her. Despite of her dragon instincts and what she had been taught by Glaedr, what she saw in front of her came periously close to going beyond her comprehension.

For several moments, she considered the possibility of that it was some kind of illusion or other spell cast by a user of magic-- but soon her own senses told her that it was very much real. That didn't change the fact that she wasn't sure that she wanted to believe what she did see, as it really went beyond anything she had learned during her short life or what she instinctively knew.

It was one thing to see a creature that looked like a long-haired cat the size of a very big horse, watching her in much the same way as she would have watched a deer or a cow. The fact that it was undoubtely as intelligent as her.., didn't exactly make its presence less unnerving.

Neither did the sight of what appeared to be a metallic black and red wasp the lenght of a man's arm do much to make her less nervous about the entire situation.

However, it was the third 'guest' who truly caught the young dragoness' attention.

For what stood in front of her was another dragon, larger than she was at a lenght that seemed to be about 55 feet, watching her with a mix of wariness and curiosity, mirrored by the young woman sitting in a rather strange-looking saddle at its neck-- that appeared large and bulky to accomodate for the rows of spikes at its neck.

Well, at least Sapphira thought it was a dragon, although it was about as similar to her as an eagle would be to a falcon. Despite of its somewhat compact and muscled body, its limbs and tail were long and slender, so were the horns curving back from the top of its head. The scales covering its body were cobalt blue with nearly black markings, more metallic than gem-like, and its cat-like, blue-green eyes glimmered in the darkness.

Exactly what the rider was like was more difficult to determine though, as the riding gear she wore made it difficult to establish anything else than that she was most likely a female. Neither did it seem like the rider carried any weapons, though that did little to make Sapphira less wary, as any dragon could be a formidable opponent-- she had already learned that around Glaedr and Thorn.

Sensing the approach of several guards, and other people who had noticed the strange display in the sky or the strange visitors in the courtyard, Sapphira knew that she had to make sure that they would not be harmed by the intruders. Something that worried her though, was the lack of response from Eragon as she called him. While she knew that he was in the building just to the left of her, it was like that he couldn't hear her, and except for knowing that he was there-- she couldn't sense much from him either.

:_What.., who are you? What is your purpose of being here?_: she asked as the first guards entered the court yard, comming to a sudden stop when spotting the intruders.

With a low rustle of scales, the strange dragon folded her wings and lowered her head slightly to look at Sapphira.

:_Hmmmm..., in the matter of why we are here, your guess is as good as mine_: the cobalt blue dragon said, her mind voice making it clear that she was female:_this place is certainly not where I intended to go when I teleported_:

Glancing back at her rider, the dragon seemed to speak with her, before taking another look at the surrounding buildings, the gathering 'spectators' and finally the sky-- where the strange display of light was slowly fading.

:_As for names-- Aino is mine and my rider is Elii, the fact that we aren't exactly from around here is quite obvious I believe. Our world of origin is Lentheas, and I believe _That_ has something to do with us appearing here_:

With a throaty hum, Aino indicated the sky by stretching one wing straight upwards.

Sapphira threw her head backwards with a nervous snort, thoughts racing through her mind. Judging by the subtext leaking from the other dragon's mind as she spoke, this 'Lentheas' was no place in Alagaësia or the lands that lay beyond, and the act of teleporting she understood to be some kind of going between places without covering the physical distance.

How such a thing was even possible evaded her, but it certainly caught her interest...

Another and no less important matter was how Aino and the others had been brought to Aberon, if Aino did in fact speak the truth. Sapphira's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the other dragon's rider, the cat and the 'wasp'-- none of them had spoken, but neither did they seem about to turn hostile.

There was not really any warning as it happened, only a slight pulse of anxiousness in Sapphira's mind that caused her to start turning her head towards the windows of Eragon's quarters, only to be forced to scramble as far away as the court year allowed as the entire wall seemed to explode outwards.

Rocks and splintered wood flew everywhere, one of them hitting Sapphira hard enough at the side of her head to make her see stars, and staggering-- she probably would have fallen if Aino hadn't flung out an arm to steady her.

Then darkness burst from the jagged hole left by the explosion, seeming to materialize into a monster-- like a small and stunted dragon with arms and legs that were mote like those of a human its scales gleaming red, black and white. With a thunderous cry, the creature looked down at those of the ground, shifting its powerfull arms slightly to let everyone see the young man it held in its clawed hands.

Beating powerful wings once, then twice, it surged upwards and out of sight-- carrying the unconscious Eragon with it.

For the first time in her young life, Sapphira noticed her vision darkening as the blow to her head and everything that had happened simply became too much, and with a sound of protest-- she dropped to the ground as she passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: the world of Alagaësia belongs to Cristopher Paolini. Any original characters and references to other worlds are mine unless stated otherwise.

* * *

The silence that followed was quite uncomfortable, as the resident people and the strange guests watched each other, now and then glancing at the destruction to the building left by the 'dragon' that had taken Eragon. Only the strange wasp creature had the presence of mind, or decided to do something, and none really noticed as it took off from the roof of another building nearby and flew in the same direction as the monster had.

And then the silence was broken as a black-haired elf burst into the courtyard, followed by a human woman with dark skin and hair. Taking in the unexpected scene, their eyes widened as they both skidded to a sudden stop.

Arya's green eyes went first to the unconscious Sapphira, and then the elf woman tilted her head slightly to look up at the shattered wall of the building nearby. Then she finally turned her attention to the strange guests, the expression on her face shifting from disbelief to what might have been anger. Having seen Eragon being taken by the alien dragon-like creature, that she had been unable to do anything to stop, she turned to the next possible threat.

Taking a step forwards, Arya was about to speak the word that would immobilize the strangers, only to find herself eye to eye with the giant cat.

:_Don't go there, you may not like the result_: it said, silver-tipped, slate grey shifted as the feline moved his head a little back, yellow eyes watching her with a glint of amusement. Flicking an ear backwards as the blue dragon bent her forelegs to make it easier for her rider to get down to the ground, the giant cat sat back at his haunches, appearing to be in deep thought for a few moments before he spoke again.

:_I at least, pose no threat to you as long as I am not attacked, or someone go out of their way to annoy me. This world is not the one I was born into, my world of origin is probably further from here than any of us can imagine_:

Standing rigid, Arya watched the giant cat, seeking for any clues of that he was lying as she listened to his mind voice. But his mind was tightly shut, nothing leaked from his mind as he spoke.

"For now, I will believe your word, though you must be prepared for that there will be demands for you to open your mind. We are at war, and cannot take any chances-- certainly not with such strange visitors as you. Tell me though, how did you get here, if you are not from this world like you claim?"

Lowering his head slightly as the dragon's rider, still wearing her helmet, stopped beside him-- the cat glanced over at her as something passed between them.

:_As far as I can tell, we were forced to this world by a spell woven out of your kind of magic. How I and my two 'companions' ended up here I can't answer, though my guess would be that the spell was simply not focused enough to bring us to our intended location_. _Now though_, _I would like to be told more about what is happening here_:

The cat's ears flicked as he looked upwards, at the windows and rooftops where a considerable number of archer had gathered in the meantime-- their arrows aimed and him and the two others. Aino, the dragon, rumbled angrily as fire flickered in the air above her head-- but except to move forwards to unfold a wing over her rider and the great cat, she made no threatening moves.

Mind racing, Arya folded her arms. Logic demanded that she made certain of that the strangers could be trusted, by that their minds were examined. They were real, she was certain of that, but now when they had just officially declared war on Galabatorix, it was impossible to say what he could come up with to destroy the Varden and Surda. But still the fact remained that those beings had to come from where, and if that feline had spoken the truth...

Suddenly aware of the arrival of the surdan king, she took a deep breath to help her gather her thoughts. So many facets of the situation that had to be dealt with-- Sapphira still appeared to be unconscious, the strangers and the fact that some creature had just taken Eragon, had simply snatched the young dragonrider right in front of their noses.

:_Perhaps you should let them know what has happened, then you may read my mind if you insist_: the giant cat said:_and by the way, the name you may call me by is Mirdrairee. I would still prefer if you told me a bit about what is going on here when you have the chance though, giving me that information might make me more willing to give more information about myself and the world I come from_:

Signaling to Nasuda, King Orrin and the others that she would talk to them soon, Arya gave the cat a slow nod. And as a number of sorcerers came to take a look at Sapphira, she breathed a bit easier, certainly a dragon wasn't easy to bring down-- but a hit to the head like that could be serious for anyone.

"That is acceptable" she said, signaling that the giant cat and the dragonrider, the still silent Elli, to go inside.

Later, after what felt like days, the worries of the Varden and the surdan nobles and generals had finally been presented and to a degree dealt with-- Arya quietly left the council chamber. Although she only had a few minutes to gather her thoughts before going down to the courtyard to look into the minds of the visitors, the council on top of everything that had happened-- that had not been easy.

There had been times during the council that she had wanted to shake some sense into the more unreasonable and conservative council members-- some who had called for the immediate deaths of the strangers. Yet others had again called for a surender to Galbatorix, or utterly refused to release any forces and supplies to go after the creature that had taken Eragon.

One had even had the nerve to suggest that she and Sapphira was to be sent to the Empire as a peace offering, Arya clenched her hands as she had to make an effort not to strike out at the wall. Why could those fools not realise that there was no return now, even if they surrendered, the Empire would never just let them to.

Those who were killed right away would probably be the lucky ones.

:_I am sorry to disturb you, Arya, but they are waiting for you in the courtyard_:

Startling at Sapphira's voice, clear despite that she sounded somewhat preoccupied, Arya replied quickly before she started down the corridor in the direction of the stairs down to the courtyard. In her current mental state, having to examine someone's mind was really one of the last things she wanted to do, but despite of her earlier feelings about that matter-- she was glad that she would be getting some aid from the human sorcerers.

As she entered the courtyard a few minutes later, it looked quite different from what it had been hours ago. Already someone had managed to clear the ground of stone and other rubble from the shattered wall, and the jagged hole itself had been covered with a large canvas to protect the room inside from the elements. What caught her eye most of all though, was the two dragons sitting in the courtyard, their scales lighted by torches and what appeared to be small spheres of fire hovering by the walls.

Where one dragon's scales glistened like a finely cut diamond, the scales of the other had the gleam of cold metal. Though that was really the smallest of their differences. It was clear that they had been talking, but as Arya came into the courtyard, both turned their heads to look at her.

:_Shall we get started with this then?_:

Flanked by several soldiers, Mirdrairee sat on the ground just beyond the two dragons, and the cat's eyes seemed to gleam as his gaze met Arya's. Then he slowly turned his head away to look to the left-- at an older woman standing just a few meters away.

At first Arya frowned, knowing that something about the woman was familiar, but she couldn't quite recall from where. Then however, her eyes widened slightly as she recognized the clothes, now with her helmet off, worn by the stranger.

:_In a moment or two. And I see that Aino's rider has finally deigned to let us have a proper look at her_: Arya replied. Looking at the woman though, she couldn't help but wonder. The dragonrider's pointed ears and build did suggest that she was an elf, but then there were her somewhat cat-like features of her face and the subtle pattern of green on her otherwise tanned skin.

:_Why remove what protects your head in a potentially dangerous situation?_:

Tail moving lazily back and forth, Mirdrairee stood up and walked up to Arya, closely followed by the soldiers set to keep an eye on him. And with a sound that couldn't be mistaken for anything but a rather good imitation of a human chuckle, he lowered his head slightly to look at her.

:_But let's not waste any more time, get this reading of my mind done with_:

With a glance over at Sapphira, who gave a barely noticeable nod, Arya accepted the blue dragon's aid as she reached out to sift through the giant cat's mind.

There was a bit of a surprise to her that he offered no resistance, although she did sense a mild curiosity at the fragments of thoughts and memories he picked up from hers and Sapphira's minds. True contact was suddenly established, and as she began her work, the joint Arya/Sapphira nearly cried out in mixed surprise and denial at what they found.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Alagaësia belongs to Cristopher Paolini. Any original characters and the rest belongs to me.

* * *

**Uru'baen, capital City of Alagaësia.**

_**Evening, the day after.**_

Deceptively slender fingers curling around the top of the fence of elaborately shaped stone lining the balcony outside of his quarters, Galbatorix-- king of the Empire, blankly watched the distant, glittering band that was the Ramr River. Once a rather handsome man, his features had long since hardened and became pale enough to be mistaken for the marble favored by many artists throughout the Empire. Dark eyes as lively as those of a crow watched his surroundings impassively, and his hair had been dyed a dark brown and cropped short for convenience.

These days things were better left simple if it was possible, the work to ensure that none could challenge his hold on Alagaësia, soon also the lands beyond-- was more important by far. Already the Urgals had proven to be of little use, and the defeat of his army when he had launched his first attack at Surda and their allies from the Varden had seemed like a great blow at first.

That the elves also seemed reasy to attack, that was another problem that had to be dealt with.

After all, there was a limit on how many civilians that could be conscripted from cities, towns and farms without compromizing future resources. Quite unfortunate really, but even if kept on the smallest possible rations, food for his armies had to come from somewhere.

Still, the state of things was not nearly as problematic as it might have been, had he not been able to gain some invaluable allies...

A startling change happened to the king as he raised a hand to shield his eyes against the sun, and there was a wide smile on his face as he looked southwards. For a moment or two, nothing could be seen, before three winged forms suddenly dove into view. The smallest, who also was the one to move the fastest, was a young red dragon-- the scales covering his body gleaming in the sun.

It was clear by their behaviour though, that neither the young dragon nor his rider, were happy about their company. Though flying fast, they both frequently glanced back at the two larger beasts gliding through the air behind them.

First of the two was a dragon many times the size of the red one, this one's scales a bluish-black-- Galbatorix's own dragon, Shruikan. It was the appearance of the last one that he truly welcomed though, and while sending a greeting to each of the four, it was the last dragon that kept his attention.

Slightly shorter than Shruikan at a lenght of about 41 meters, the non native dragon still appeared larger due to sheer muscle and the orange-yellow skin covering his body-- appearing almost lumniscent as he angled his wings to land.

That he would gain such a valuable ally, that had not been what he had expected when his soldiers had brought back a half-dead humanoid creature, of no race he had seen before, from a patrol. Naturally there had been certain...misunderstandings initially as he tried to figure out the true nature of his guest, but they had been able to come to an agreement eventually.

The losses of certain residents of the city during their initial argument had really been quite small, entirely justifiable compared to the advantages of co-operating.

Folding massive wings, the dragon waited till most of the dust whirled up by the backdraft generated by him and the other dragons had settled or been blown away by the wind, and then he changed. Within the span of a few seconds, the dragon had became a tall humanoid man-- his hair being black-brown and skin that was nearly as dark, contrasting with the dark grey and blue-grey of the clothes he wore.

"Apparently your servants here did not go through with the simple little task you gave them" the dragon turned man, Thelyr, said. And there was a faint smile on his face as he indicated Murtagh and Thorn.

:_We found them plodding along the river miles from here. The oath they swore would force them to return here of-course, but they were certainly taking their time about it_: Shruikan said slyly, only a slight trembling of his wings betraying the internal conflict that sometimes got the better of him. Though since Thelyr had helped to strenghten their bond, such unfortunate episodes during which the black dragon had had to be restrained, had became less common.

Curse those dragonriders of old for corrupting the bond between him and the dragon who was his...

One hand clenching briefly, Galbatorix banished all such thoughts from his mind, instead concentrating about the far more important matter of dealing with the disobediance of his two servants. Murtagh had showed promise certainly, but the young man still had a lot too learn about what mattered, and what that did not. Neither could the fact that they had disobeyed an order be tolerated.

Galbatorix leaned slightly forwards, giving his servants a few moments to think about what was coming. To punish his apprentices was not something he did lightly, but unfortunately-- sometimes it was necessary.

"I see that you have both returned in one piece, but it also grieves me to see that you have failed to bring me the female dragon and her rider. This despite of that you could easily have done so, as I can see in your mind".

Any sign of the smile that had spread across his face earlier was gone as Galbatorix straightened himself.

"Another agent has been sent to do what you could not. But it is clear to me that you need another reminder of what your duties are, to me and to the people of Alagaësia and Surda".

There was no need to speak an order, and when Galbatorix turned away to go back inside, Shruikan and Thelyr were already advancing at the two younger ones. Neither did he really permit himself to hear their screams.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: the world of the Inheritance Triology would be the property of Cristopher Paolini, as would be the characters from the books. The rest are mine.

* * *

A while later, Galbatorix was enjoying a glass of chilled wine brought by a servant, when the sound of claws against the stone floor alerted him of the arrival of the person he had been waiting for. And setting down the glass at the table beside him, he turned around-- inclining his head slightly in greeting.

"Your apprentice's punishment has been dealt with of-course, and he has been left in the hands of your personal healers. However, I recently received news that may require our immediate attention".

Wearing a shape resembling a smaller, bipedal version of his true form, Thelyr quietly returned the greeting as he entered the room. For a moment, his lumniscent eyes dulled as the third eye-lids slid over them-- then he indicated a door opposite to the one he had entered through.

"One agent I sent out recently has returned. And while he had something I believe that you may very much want to see, he also brings more unfortunate news. He is waiting for us in the throne room, so my suggestion would be that we go there to see what he has for us".

Galbatorix took a last sip of the wine, and stood up, allowing Thelyr to lead the way as they walked out of his quarters and down the wide set of stairs leading through the large hall he had taken for his throne room so many years ago. Like in the rest of the palace, everything appeared plain and lacking in decorations unless one looked closely for the subtle ornaments created by patterns and colors. The longer one looked or even meditated over it, the more impressive the palace would appear for those who took the time to do so. Certainly it had not always been like that, but his own work, and that of Thelyr with the quite unique way of magic he was capable of-- had made such alterations possible.

Waiting for them, standing close by the throne often used by Galbatorix during audiences, was a creature that superficially resembled the form currently used by Thelyr. But this creature was clearly made for bipedal locomotion, and while fairly lean-- its wiry muscles and alert gaze as it watched them approach, clearly spoke of someone born and raised to fight. Except for the sleek red, black and white scales covering its body, that were as tough as any dragon's scales, it wore little-- only a pair of elaborate and fingerless leather gloves. It wore no visible weapons, but with the teeth and claws it was equiped with-- not to mention the magical energy humming around it, no other weapons were likely needed.

"As promised, I brought you the human that you deemed so troublesome. Unfortunately it also seems like the weaving of magic we worked to gain access to him had some unexpected results, others were pulled across the boundaries and deposited in Aberon. I counted less than five, but more may have appeared further out, the feedback was quite extensive" it said, the voice coming from it sounding surprisingly human.

Turning around, it then indicated someone on the floor behind it. And upon taking a closer look, Galbatorix felt something like shock surging through him as he recognized the upstart dragonrider who had sided with the Varden. Then surprise was replaced by triumph as his own magic told him that what he was seeing was real.

Noticeably changed from when he had still been able to scry the boy, before something had blocked his attempts, Eragon-- more of a young man, was now more like one of the cowardly elves. A sneer appeared at Galbatorix's face as he looked down at the human that he had wanted to capture for quite some time-- unconscious at the present, but he would probably wake soon enough.

There was one thing that he would like to be done before that however...

"Well done, the both of you, with the rider in our hands-- I should think that the dragon would be far less of a threat. Knowing dragons, I suspect that her reaction will be quite predictable. However, his current form is quite..offensive, I would say. Might you be able to do something about it?" he asked, turning his dark eyes towards Thelyr.

Remaining still, the changed dragon looked down at Eragon for several moments, then he nodded slowly.

"It is a complex piece of magic, but within my abilities even here. I will need both of you to move back to the stairs, since undoing the changes to the human will require that I return to my true form".

A large, luminous eye followed Galbatorix and the dragon-creature until they reached the stairs, then a mist appeared around Thelyr-- hissing as it obscured his form nearly completely. Then, the blink of an eye later-- the huge, orange-yellow dragon was sitting in the hall, head held low as not to damage the ceiling. Wings rustling as it moved slightly, the dragon arched its neck and spoke in its own language-- the strong and music-like song being echoed by the air around it as it hummed with energy.

For a moment or two, the glittering form of a ghostly dragon seemed to rise above the prone body of Eragon, jaws opening as if to engulf Thelyr's head. But then the thing writhed, seeming to scream in soundless pain before it suddenly dissolved without a trace. Uttering a tired sigh, Thelyr returned to his previous form, his legs seeming to be about to fail him for a moment or two. Then the dragon straightened himself abruptly and turned back to Galbatorix.

"As of now, he should give you far less trouble," Thelyr said, "I will need to rest now however, so I will leave you to dealing with the human as you see it fit".

Galbatorix gave a nod, giving both leave to depart the room. With Eragon as his captive, and now much less capable of fighting him, it should not be long before he was in complete control of the rider, and with him-- the last known female dragon.


End file.
